That level of gameplay freedom was fairly uncommon in the FPS genre at the time and went on to define the core of what the Far Cry franchise has become known for since. You can go in loud with grenades and stolen trucks or stealth your way through enemy base camps, taking down waves of soldiers along the way. The first Far Cry is a fairly linear, level-based game by Far Cry standards, but it’s still got plenty of player agency. Sure, there are still plenty of dimly lit corridors and sci-fi stuff to be found here - the game centers around taking down not only soldiers, but also genetically modified mutant monsters, after all - but players will still scale mountains, fly hang gliders, and swim seas. It’s an interesting mechanic that never really made its return in later titles but it does add a level of tension and survival simulation to a game already teeming with things that want you dead.Īfter years of dimly lit corridors and labyrinthine sci-fi settings dominated the first person shooter space, the original Far Cry dared to drag the genre out into the sunshine for a wide open romp across a dangerous tropical island.

On top of contending with local wildlife and enemy forces, the player also has to deal with malaria, periodically requiring the usage of medicine to treat the life-threatening parasitic disease coursing through their body. While its murky, sepia-toned visuals haven’t aged well - a common theme for many mature games of the mid-2000s era - the immense African savannah backdrop still provided players with tons to do and explore. Lots of the quality of life standards and progression features common in recent Far Cry’s hadn’t been introduced yet, but it’s hard to deny how influential Far Cry 2 ended up being to later installments. #9 - Far Cry 2 - 2008 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)įar Cry 2 was the first in the series to attempt the nonlinear, open-world shooter approach and the result is both ambitious and undercooked as a result. Instincts is a fairly linear take on the already linear debut Far Cry game, but it’s still worth checking out to see how far the Far Cry games have come since. Issues like texture pop-in and long load times definitely showed Instincts’ age when it launched, but this redo also brought in a map editor, new feral abilities, and the addition of several multiplayer modes. Far Cry Instincts is basically a remake of the original Far Cry game with some cut corners in order to let it debut on the Xbox in 2007.

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